Liquid gage and indicator used with gasolene-tanks for automobiles and the like



U 1- i I I A I VENTOR I Q. j?

, F 0. RAST. LIQUID GAGE M0 INDICATOR USED WITH GASOLENE TANKSFOR AUTOMAPPLICATION FILD MAY 10, 1919. r

1,371,395; PatentedMar.15,1921.

OBILES AND THE LIKE.

/-v BY Wpnm: A

PATEL orrics.

FELIX Q. EAST, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIQUID GAGE AND INDICATOR USED WITH GASOLENE-TANKS FOR AUTOMOBILES ANDTHE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application filed May 10, 1919. Serial No. 296,159.

To a 70/10"). it may concern.

Be it known that l, FELIX Q. Basil, a citizen ot' the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid Gage andIndicators Used with (hisolenel anks tor Automobiles and the like, ofwhich the tollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to liquid gages and indicators such as areparticularly adapted for use with the gasolene tanks of automobiles andthe like. Gages are in eonunon use in which the level 0t gasolene in a.tank is visually indicated by meansot a dial and indicator needle,through the intermediary of float-actuated connections. but suchindicators cannot be read in the dark. And there. are automobiles invery general. use which are not provided with any gasolene gage, so thatin order to ascertain how much gasolcne is contained in the tank itnecessary to remove the closure cap from the tank, insert a rod or stickand guess at the contents of the tank by an inspection oi" the rod orstick after it is v-litlulrawn from the tank. This is inconvenient,nniaitislactory and uncertain, and dangerous when done in the dark, inthe latter event it involves the use oi a light and it the light be anaked flame, as for instance from a burning match, there is alwaysdanger of explosion and fire.

R my iavention l aim. to provide a gas lene gage and indicator which maybe readily applied to the or inary gasolene tank, and which when inposition gives both a visual and a tactual indication, so that thecontents of the tank may be ascertained in the dark as well as in thelight.

Another object is to provide a construe tion attaining the objectslast-above stated which is simple and cheap to manufacture and which maybe readily applied to the usual gasolene tank without changing theconstruction of the tank and without the use of any tools.

other objects and aims of the invention, more or less broad than thosestated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be in partobvious and in part specifically referred to in the course ot thefollowing description of the elements, combinations, arrangements ofparts, and applications of principles constituting the invention; and

the scope of protection contemplated will appear from the claim.

ln the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as part of thisspecification, and

in which I have shown merely a preferred form or embodiment of are 1 isa top plan view of one form or embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a,side elevation with parts broken away illustrating the subject-matter ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a slightly modifiedform of construction; Fig. 41 is a view similar to Fig. 52 andillustrating in side elevation the construction of Fig. 8; and Fig. 5 isa detail in bottom plan view of the float and the parts connectedtherewith.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings. there is shown at (i aclosure cap for a gasolene tank having a depending exteriorly threadedpart- 7 tor engagement in the corresponding interiorly i'zhreadedfilling opening of a tank. T he upper face of this closure cap (3 may besunk as indicated at 8, and provided with a dial having indicator marksas shown in Fig. l, for visual indication. Depending lrom the lower face9 of the closure cap is a pair ot arms in the form of rods 10, and thesearms 10 are conveniently connccted at their lower ends by means of acrossbar ll, so that the arms 10 and crossbar ll constitute an integralU-shaped member, the cross-bar ll serving a stop to limit the downwardmovement of the float the invention, Figas hereinafter descrilied, andalso supporting one end of an oscillatory rod 12. This rod 12 is oblongin cross section and twisted from end to end. The lower endot' the rod12 is reduced to provide a pivot l i which is accommodated in an openingmidway ot' the length of the cross-bar 11; and the upper end of the rod12 is also reduced to Form pivot which extends through a centralaperture in the closure -ap 6, the protruding end of this reducedportion 15 of the upper end of the rod 12 carrying an indicator arm orneedle 16 which sweeps over the dial 8. T he numeral 17 indicates afloat, of cork or other suitable material centrally apertured andcarrying, diametrically across its lower face, a flat plate 18-which isprovided with an oblong aperture 19 in registry with the centralaperture of the float 17. This plate 18 has one or both ends extendingbeyond the periphery of the float, and out out, as indicated at 20,toprovide a guide or guides for ,level Within the tank.

engagement with oneo'r both of the side 10 s 10; and-the spiral ortwisted rod 12 passes through the central aperture of the float and theoblon aperture 19 of the plate 18. The length 0 the aperture 19 is butvery slightly greater than the width of the rod 12, and the width of theaperture 19 is but very slightly greater than the thickness of the rod12. As the float changes its vertical position with changes in the levelof and consequent movement of the indicator .needle or arm 16.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the parts are in position as they will appear when thetank is full and the float consequently at the limit of its upwardtravel, while in Figs. 3 and 4 the parts are in the position which theywill occupy when the tank is empty and the float at the lowered limit ofits travel. 7

. The position of the indicator arm or needle 16 with relation to thevisual indicator marks gives visual evidence of the liquid And in orderto make possible a corresponding reading in the dark I may provideeither on. the upper horizontal face or rim 21 of the closure cap, as in'Fig. 1, or on the vertical edge portions or' periphery of the cap as inFig. 3, tactually distinct indicator portions corresponding respectivelywith certain of the visually distinct indicator markings of the dial. InFig. 1 there is a depression 22 in the rim corres onding tothe marking 0of the dial, pointed projection or lug part 24 corresponding to theindicator marking 5 of the dial and a rounded projection or lug 25corresponding to the marking IQ of the dial. In Fig. 3 there is no dialunderneath the indicator needle, but the dial markings -5"/ and ,10 areplaced on the rim 21 of the cap and adjacent each of these threemarkings are tactually distinct markings 22 -241, and 25, correspondingto those of Fig. With these tactually distinct indicator portions it isevident that havin found by touch the position of the indicator. needle,the relation of this position to the adjacent one or ones of thetactually dis tinctmarkings may be readily found and thus a, reasonablyaccurate determination made of the contents of the tank, even in thedark. It will be observed thatboth the visual and tactual indicatormarkings or portions have a fixed relation to each other and to theseveral positionslof the indicator needle, and these relations aremaintained regardless of the angular position of the cap with respect tothe tank.

Inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above construction, andmany apparently widely'difi'erent embodiments of my invention could bemade without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall, be interpreted as illustrative and not in a comprising aflanged plate removably secured within an opemng 1n the tank, an1ndicator movable over the outer face of the plate, visual markingsarranged on said plate to: indicate the movements of said movableindicator, tactual markings arranged on the flanged portion of the platecorresponding to certain of the visual indicator markings, a memberpassing through the plate and connected to the indicator to cause thesame to indicate the liquid level within the tank, the several markin shaving a fixed relation to each other and to the several positions ofthe indicator regardless of; the rotative position of the plate withinthe tank opening,

In testimo y whereof I afiix my signature.

FELIX Q. RAST.

